Abstract

This article discusses several aspects of psychosocial adjustment to blindness andlow-vision and proposes that the education of both the self and society are essential forpositive adjustment. It exposes some of the general misunderstandings about visualimpairment and demonstrates how these are partly responsible for the perpetuation of mythsand misconceptions regarding the character and abilities of this population. It argues thatconfidence and self-esteem are deeply connected to ability and should be regarded asconstructive elements of the ego usually manifested in different types of introverted orextroverted behaviour. Wherever possible arguments will be backed by current and pastresearch in social and abnormal psychology as well as specific case studies recorded by theauthor during the years he spent conducting research and working as a life-skills tutor at theRoyal London Society for the Blind.